48 Historical Notes on the 



Only very few plants of a sub-alpine character were here growing, the 

 rest belonging to the vegetation found generally only nearer to both 

 coasts. 



Having ascertained, in former years, from the West Coast Maoris, 

 that a pass existed at the head of Lake Wanaka, by which former 

 generations had travelled across the island, but not being able to gather 

 anything positive about this road from them, I went on my journey 

 up to the Waiteniate bush to consult an aged iVlaori on the 

 subject, with which I was informed he was well acquainted. From him 

 I heard that the track lay by the "Wilkin, a main branch of the 

 Makarora, joining it some miles above the lake, and that it would 

 bring me in two days to the mouth of the Awarua river, on the West 

 Coast ; but when on the spot, and examining the physical features of 

 the country, I was led to the conclusion that there must be some error 

 in his description. Observing at the same time that the main chain at 

 the head of the Makarora appeared singularly broken, I thought that 

 possibly a piss might be found in that direction, and I determined, 

 therefore, to try to cross the central chain there, and as the result 

 has shown, my anticipations have been fully verified. After the pre- 

 liminaries had been settled, we started on January 22nd, my com- 

 panions being Mr. William Young, as Assistant Surveyor, and R. L. 

 Holmes, F. Warner, and Charles Haring, taking four weeks provisions 

 with us, so that we all had very heavy loads to carry. For the first 

 sixteen miles our road led us along the broad valley, over flats covered 

 with grass, or through torest vegetation growing to the banks of the 

 river. Having travelled so far, we found that the base of the mountains 

 on both sides approached nearer and nearer, till after a distance of a 

 mile and a half, they formed a gorge, the river rushing between 

 immense blocks of rocks, which lie scattered in its channel and on the 

 mountain sides. Twenty miles above its mouth the Makarora comes 

 from the east, through a deep chasm of vertical cliffs, showing its 

 glacier origin by its semi-opaque colour ; but the main valley 

 still continues in the same north-north-west direction — a tributary, 

 which I have called the Fish stream, flowing through it, joining 

 here the Makarora. After travelling half a mile, we found it 

 impossible to proceed up the bed of this stream, vertical cliffs rising 

 abruptly from the edge of the water, which falls down over immense 

 blocks of rock. We were therefore obliged to ascend to a considerable 

 altitude on its eastern bank, and to continue our journey through 

 dense forest along the steep mountain sides. After travelling for 



